Here is the question: Can you fear what you love? I say “yes.” I love cream–but I also fear what it can do to my midline. So I search for alternatives. “Seek and you shall find,” as they say.

While in Paris, I had the most delicious rhubarb dessert. The base was a shortbread cookie, and the rhubarb was topped with creme brulée with a dollop of strawberry ice cream.

In this Rhubarb with Molten Marshmallow,granola serves as a perfect, guilt-free base. The rhubarb is sweetened to a minimal degree. A single marshmallow, singed to perfection, and pinched open to expose the creamy white interior, provides a sweet contrast to the tart rhubarb. Creamless. Fearless.

4 marshmallows, singed on a bamboo skewer, slowly rotated for about a minute, 1-inch above a candle flame

mint leaves as garnish, some top sprigs, some whole leaves, some chiffonade

4 raspberries

Cook rhubarb in a medium-small sized pot with honey and water, stirring, until it melts into strands. It only takes about 6 minutes. Let it cool to room temperature.

Place a 3 1/2-inch wide stainless steel mold on a dessert plate. Put 3 tablespoons of granola into the mold. Spoon in 1/4 of the rhubarb and refrigerate until it firms up. When you remove the mold, a pink coloured syrup will slowly ooze into the plate. It adds colour and flavour.

Pinch the marshmallows to spread them out over the top of the molded rhubarb. Garnish with a teaspoon of granola, mint leaves and a single raspberry. Serves 4.

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15 thoughts on “Rhubarb with Molten Marshmallow”

Holly – Nicely done. You don’t see too many cooks tackling rhubarb these days. Love your pics and recipe instructions. I’ll not attempt it, but will savor virtually. Btw, I posted a cocktail that used Rabarbaro, a rhubarb-based bitter. So, we can can have our rhubarb and eat it and drink it, too. 🙂

Hey Tom, good to hear from you. Have you gone from food to drink in your Palladian Travels? I figure that rhubarb is big in Paris at the moment so maybe it’s making a comeback? We grew up with my mom’s excellent rhubarb pie with vanilla ice cream, of course. Just trying to recreate the magic.

I just picked some fresh rhubarb from the garden last night – your timing is impeccable! And the marshmellow will be a good sell on my continual quest to convince Elsie that fruit after supper is a dessert…. I might add some quinoa flakes into the granola to sneak some more protein into her..